Heeled footwear and method of producing heeled footwear

ABSTRACT

Heeled footwear such as a shoe or boot including a sole assembly and a heel part may be provided. In one implementation, the heel part may include an insert formed in a first material. The insert may include a core body delimited by an upper surface, a lower bottom surface, and an outer surface connecting the upper and lower surfaces. At least a part of the outer surface may be encased in a second material different from the first material. The outer material may form an outer contour layer of the heel part, and the sole assembly may include an outsole formed in the second material, the second material being softer than the first material. The outsole and the outer contour layer may be designed to be formed in one piece providing an outer sole unit being one component.

This is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/346,374,filed Mar. 21, 2014, which is a 35 U.S.C. § 371 national stage entry ofInternational Application No. PCT/DK2012/050347, filed Sep. 19, 2012,which claims priority to Denmark Patent Application No. PA 2011 70525,filed Sep. 22, 2011, all of which are incorporated by reference hereinin their entireties and from each of which the benefits of priority areclaimed.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to heeled footwear such as a shoe or bootcomprising a sole assembly and a heel part, said heel part comprising aninsert formed in a first material comprising a polymer substance, theinsert comprising a core body delimited by an upper surface and a lowerbottom surface placed opposite and an outer surface connecting the upperand lower surfaces, said at least a part of the outer surface beingencased/enclosed in an outer material formed in a second polymermaterial different from the first material.

The invention also relates to a method of producing heeled footwear suchas a shoe or boot, said footwear comprising a sole assembly and a heelpart, said heel part comprising an insert formed in a first materialcomprising a polymer substance, the insert comprising a core bodydelimited by an upper surface, a lower bottom surface placed oppositeand an outer surface connecting the upper and lower surfaces, said atleast a part of the outer surface being encased/enclosed in an outermaterial formed in a second polymer material different from the firstmaterial.

Finally, the invention also relates to the use of a method.

BACKGROUND

WO2009/034463 discloses a high-heeled shoe comprising the high heel anda sole, and where at least a part thereof is formed in afibre-reinforced material in order to make the shoe resistant to wearand accidental breakage during use. However, the whole sole, heel orboth are formed in said reinforced material, whereby the shoe isbreak-resistant, but also quite unpleasant and uncomfortable to wear fora long time as there is no shock absorption. Further, the production ofthe shoe in question seems quite expensive as the reinforced material isused and shaped for the whole part of the heel or sole.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,829,168 discloses an insert for producing a heeled shoecomprising an insert surrounded by an outer material at least on thecircumferential side and on the complete walking side. The outermaterial is a more elastic material compared to the material of theinsert. Therefore, the elastic material placed at the walking side isexposed to wear and/or pressure during walking. At the circumferentialside, the outer material is a thin layer following the contour of theinsert. Therefore, it is necessary to provide different inserts in orderto produce shoes that differ from each other.

EP2143354 discloses a high-heeled shoe provided with a heel having animproved resistance to, and absorption of, shocks and vibrations duringuse. The construction comprises an inner core placed in the heel andformed in a mixture of thermoplastic material and carbon fibre, andwrapped in a material also comprising carbon fibres. However, the innercore defines the design and construction of the shoe, and therefore itseems necessary to produce several cores having different designs inorder to shape different shoes. This is quite expensive and also a veryinflexible way of producing shoes. Further, the sole material seemsquite hard.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to obtain a new heeled footwearovercoming at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art orproviding at least a useful alternative.

According to a first aspect of the invention, a heeled footwear asdescribed in the introduction is provided, where the outer materialforms an outer contour layer of the heel part, and where the soleassembly comprises an outsole formed in the second material, said secondmaterial being softer than the first material and where the outer soleand the outer contour layer are formed in one piece providing an outersole unit being one component.

In this way, heeled footwear is achieved which is soft and pleasant towalk in and particularly resistant to wear and accidental breakage thatmay occur during use due to the use of the insert formed in the materialharder than the outsole. The lower bottom side of the insert is notcovered by the second material. Thereby, the pressure arising duringwalking is more directly transferred to the stiff insert, therebyoptimising the stability of the heel. Further, the footwear isconsiderably lighter than conventional footwear due to the use of apolymer-based insert also providing a stable heel construction.Simultaneously, different designs and colours can be manufactured usingthe same formed insert as the visible outside of the outsole, and atleast portions of the lateral sides of the heel part are formed in onepiece providing the outer sole unit. Thereby, a fast, effective andresource-saving method of producing footwear is also achieved. As theheel—that is the outer lateral counter layer of the heel—and outsole areone component, further steps, such as gluing, are reduced to a minimumor not even necessary.

By “softness” is to be understood a property value of the materialdetermined by use of a test measuring the hardness of the material. Thetypical Shore A value for the second material is in the range of 30-50ShA. Depending on how soft the sole unit is to be, preferably the shoreA value may be 38-46 ShA. The value for the chosen first material ishigher, more than 65 Shore A, preferably more than 85 Shore A. For veryhigh-heeled shoes, the shore A value may be even more, even exceeding ashore A value of 90 Shore A.

By heeled footwear is to be understood that in the area of the heel, theouter surface of the inside of the footwear facing the sole of the footof the wearer is at least 2 cm vertically above the surface area of thefront foot.

In this context, high-heeled shoes are defined as shoes comprising aninsert with a height of more than 3-4 cm. The height of the insert ismeasured between the lower surface and the highest point at the uppersurface axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the insert.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the Young's modulus of thefirst material is larger than the Young's modulus of the secondmaterial.

Thereby, the stiffness of the insert in relation to the soft outsole isregulated.

In another embodiment of the invention, the Shore A value for the secondmaterial is in the range of 30-50 Shore A, preferably 38-46 Shore A.

This value is an advantageous value for obtaining the desired materialproperties in order for the footwear to be soft and pleasant whenwalking.

In another embodiment of the invention, the core body comprises a lowercore part delimited by the lower bottom surface, an upper core partdelimited by the upper surface and a middle core part connecting theupper and lower parts. Said upper core part and middle core part areencased/enclosed in the outer material forming the outer contour layer.By this construction, the part of the insert facing downwards can becovered with a material being harder than the second material.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the lower bottom surface iscovered with a wear-resistant heel sole made in a third materialdifferent from the second material, or said lower bottom surface isformed in a wear-resistant material being the first material. Both thefirst and third materials are wear-resistant and preferably also slipresistant.

Advantageously, the surface of the heel part having contact with theground during use of the footwear is formed in a material different fromthe soft second material due to the high pressure and wear taking placein this region. When this part of the heel part hits the ground, it isimportant that certain shock absorption takes place so that the heelsole is not easily worn down and so that the heel is stable. Preferably,the third material has a shore A value in the interval of 65-90 shoreA—preferably 65-85 shore A—when the hardness of the insert is more than90 shore A.

In another embodiment of the invention, the first material comprises apolymer matrix reinforced with glass fibres. This provides the insertwith suitable stiffness.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the first material comprises apolymer reinforced with 25-45% glass fibre, preferably 30-35% glassfibre.

Young's modulus is, when using 30% glass fibres, in the area of 10 GPaand, when using 41%, in the area of 14 Gpa.

In another embodiment of the invention, the first material comprisesthermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), said material having a Young's modulusof at least 8 GPa.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the second material comprisesa polyurethane (PU) polymer. Preferably, the density of the polymer isin the interval of 0.4-0.6 g/cm³, preferably 0.45-0.55 g/cm³ and a shoreA value in the range of 30-50 Shore A.

In another embodiment of the invention, in the direction parallel with alongitudinal axis of the footwear, the upper surface forms an angle of90-45° relative to a longitudinal axis of the core body.

The angles are dependent on the height of the heel: the higher the heel,the lower the angle chosen. Preferably, the angle is in the interval85-65°.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the upper surface comprises anopening continuing into a bore, said bore comprising a thread forreceiving a threaded fastening means such as a screw or bolt.Advantageously, this is used when the insert is made for veryhigh-heeled shoes, i.e. when the height of the insert is more than 3-4cm. The height of the insert is measured between the lower surface andthe highest point at the upper surface and axis parallel to the corebody. The height of the insert is typical for very high heels in theinterval of 4-8 cm. The screw/bolt is typically made in a polymermaterial.

In another embodiment of the invention, the core body comprises an uppercore part being formed as the upper half part of an hourglass anddelimited by the upper surface.

This is an advantageous embodiment for the insert for very high-heeledfootwear, i.e. when the insert is more than 3-4 cm.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the sole assembly comprisesthe outsole, an insole and a shank.

In another embodiment of the invention, the core body comprisessupporting legs, flanges and/or ribs, and the second material isarranged to surround the legs, flanges and/or ribs.

In another embodiment of the invention, the lower bottom surface isexposed or covered with a third material different from the first andsecond materials.

In another embodiment of the invention, the core body further comprisesretention means. By said retention means, the retention of the secondmaterial to the insert is increased.

By designing the insert with ribs, the stiffness is increased and theconstruction as such supports the stiffness properties of the chosenmaterial.

The invention also relates to a method as described in the introduction,said method comprising the following steps:

-   -   placing the insert in a mould    -   placing an upper, an insole and a shank in the mould in a        predefined relation to the insert    -   closing the mould and injecting a second material into the        closed mould, whereby the second material encases at least parts        of the outer surface, and whereby an outer contour layer of the        heel part and an outsole are formed as one component being an        outer sole unit.

The invention also relates to use of the method for manufacturing heeledfootwear as claimed.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the first material is formedin a polyamide comprising 25-45% glass fibre.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the lower bottom surface formsan angle of 90° relative to a longitudinal axis of the core body.

Thereby, an appropriate supporting surface for walking and standing isachieved.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the upper surface is concaveupwards. Thereby, there is room for placing a soft material. This willact as a shock absorption means.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the core body furthercomprises a middle core part being formed with a uniform cross section(such as square, rectangular, circular, or oval-shaped).

In a further embodiment of the invention, the sole assembly comprisesthe outsole and an insole.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the insert is fastened to theshank by fastening means, i.e. a screw placed in the threaded bore inthe insert.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the tensile strength at breakof the first material is larger than the tensile strength at break ofthe second material.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the insert is a rigid part, bywhich the second material is supported, whereby a stiffness of the heelpart is provided.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the second material is aflexible and elastic material.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the lateral sides of the soleunit exposed to the outside comprise an outer continuous surface.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the shore A value of the firstmaterial is more than 65 shore A, preferably more than 85 shore A, morepreferably more than 90 Shore A.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the part of the lower bottomsurface turning towards the outside comprises a layer of TPU.

The layer may be a separate layer—a heel sole—connected to, for instanceby gluing, the lower surface of the insert or fastened thereto in otherways, or it may be the actual surface of the insert which is the casewhen the insert is formed in a hard TPU. This material combines certainrigidity with a suitable softness and is suitable for high heels havingan insert lower than 4 cm.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the heel part furthercomprises a top part, said top part being attached to the upper corepart of the insert.

Thereby, it is possible to provide this portion of the footwear beingclosest to the heel of the foot with properties that are even morepleasant to wear.

Advantageously, the material chosen is a softer material than thematerial of the insert and works as shock absorption means. The top partmay be a separate unit attached to the upper surface of the insert, orit may be the second material that also flows into this area during themoulding process and covers the upper surface of the insert. Thematerial could be a rubber, soft TPU or polyurethane.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is explained in details below with reference to thedrawings in which:

FIG. 1A shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of heeledfootwear according to the invention.

FIG. 1B shows a cross-sectional view of the heeled footwear shown inFIG. 1A.

FIG. 2A shows a perspective view of a second embodiment of heeledfootwear according to the invention.

FIG. 2B shows a cross-sectional view of the heeled footwear shown inFIG. 2A.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective and cross-sectional view of a thirdembodiment of heeled footwear according to the invention.

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of an insert usedfor the heeled footwear shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B.

FIG. 5A shows a perspective view of a second embodiment of an insertused for the heeled footwear shown in FIGS. 2A, 2B, and FIG. 3.

FIG. 5B shows a perspective view of a third embodiment of an insert usedfor the heeled footwear shown in FIGS. 2A, 2B, and FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of a fourth embodiment of an insertused for heeled footwear shown in FIGS. 2A, 2B and FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1A shows a perspective view of footwear, and FIG. 1B shows a shoein a cross-sectional view, while FIG. 4 shows an insert 4 suitable forproviding the shoe with a heel. The first embodiment will be explainedwith reference to said figures.

The shoe 1 comprises an upper 33 made of leather, cloth or the like andan outsole 13 of a wear-resistant material. Usually, the upper 33 of theshoe 1 is manufactured in a sewing process, and subsequently the outsole13 is connected to the upper 33, for instance by gluing. In the presentinvention, the outsole 13 is glued to the upper 33 by injectionmoulding, i.e. by injecting a composition in a space between the upper33 and the mould. The composition spreads out in the space and thusglues the entire outsole 13 to the upper 33 including a heel. Saidvertical side of the heel is wrapped in the injected material—a secondmaterial—forming an outer layer. The outsole 13 of the heeled footwearis part of the final shoe or boot and is subjected to wear when the footis pressing the shoe down on the ground during walking, running,climbing or similar. Typically, the outsole is made in a wear-resistantmaterial, such as synthetic or natural rubber, or a suitable polymer,such as polyurethane. The outsole material chosen may be polyurethanewith a shore A hardness in the range of 30-50 SHA. Under certaincircumstances, the hardness is preferably 38-46 SHA. The heel comprisesa heel part 3 comprising an insert 4 formed in a first material. Theouter material surrounding the circumferential side of the insert formsan outer contour layer 12 of the heel part. The first material is chosenfrom materials being harder than the second material and with a largerYoung's modulus than said first material. Typically, the first materialis a polymer that may be reinforced with glass fibres or carbon fibres,or it may be formed in different nylon material (a suitable polyamide).A suitable material for this embodiment being a low-heeled shoe is hardTPU having a Shore A in the interval of 65-90 Shore A.

The insert 4 comprises a core body 7 formed in the first material 5comprising a polymer substance/matrix. Further, the insert 4 comprises acore body 7 delimited by an upper surface 8, a lower bottom surface 9placed opposite and an outer surface 10 connecting upper and lowerbottom surfaces. Said at least a part of the outer surface 10 isenclosed in an outer material formed in a second material different fromthe first material. The core body 7 comprises a lower core part 26delimited by the lower bottom surface 9, an upper core part 23 delimitedby the upper surface 8, and a middle core part 25 connecting the upper23 and lower 26 parts. Said upper core part 8 and middle core part 25are encased/enclosed in the outer material forming the outer contourlayer. The outsole 13 and the outer contour layer 12 of the heel part 3are one unit, i.e. one component forming an outer sole unit 29.

The lower bottom surface 9 limiting the lower core part 26 comprises aheel sole 27 as an integrated part, or the heel sole 27 may be attached.Typically, said heel sole 27 is formed in a material with a higherwear-resistance than the second material. In the embodiment shown inFIG. 4, the heel sole 27 is an integrated part of the insert 4 andformed in the same step as the insert 4 and in the same material, i.e.hard TPU.

The heel sole 27 is circular, but may be made in any design, i.e.square, rectangular etc., being 5-6 mm thick. The heel sole 27 may alsobe manufactured as a separate unit and glued to the lower bottom surface9. (This is shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B.) A top part 34 is placed oppositethe heel sole 27. Said top part 34 is made in a soft material, forinstance soft TPU. The top part 34 is circular with a rectangularopening. The top part 34 is glued to the upper surface 8 and angled90-60°, preferably 87-80°, compared to the longitudinal axis 19 of thecore body 7. Typically, this is a value in a design using this sort ofinsert embodiment, i.e. for heeled shoes not being high-heeled shoes.See below for definitions of high-heeled shoes and heeled shoes ingeneral.

The core body 7 in FIG. 4 comprises supporting legs, ribs and plates 28.The irregular form of the outer surface of the insert works as retentionmeans increasing the adherence between the insert and the secondmaterial in which the insert is embedded. In this embodiment, the corebody 7 comprises one main plate 36 placed along the diameter of thelower surface 9 perpendicular to the lower surface and two furtherplates 37 placed perpendicularly to the main plate 36. In this way, arigid construction is obtained supporting the function of the rigidmaterial chosen for the insert 4. At the lateral side of the middle corepart 25 and the upper core part 23, the insert 4 is covered with thesecond material. The material may have any colour, and the outer contourlayer 12 may have any desired design such as circular, rectangular,square, and also with different designs at different square sections.The outer contour layer 12 and the outsole 13 form the outer sole unit29. Typically, the insert 4 is fastened to a shank 30. Said fasteningtakes place during the manufacturing process as the injected materialcovers the shank 30 and parts of the insert 4, whereby the two elementsare positioned and fastened in relation to each other. A fastening meanssuch as a screw or a bolt may be used after the moulding process inorder to strengthen the connection between the two elements. An insole31 is placed between the shank 30 and the outsole 13. Said outsole 13,shank 30 and insole 31 comprise a sole assembly 2. Typically, the insertdescribed is formed in hard TPU suitable for heeled footwear having aninsert being lower than around 4 cm.

FIGS. 2A and 2B show a high-heeled shoe 1 being defined as a shoecomprising an insert 4 with a height of more than 3-4 cm. The height ofthe insert 4 is measured between the lower surface and the highest pointat the upper surface and axis parallel to the core body 7. Typically,the insert 4 is for very high heels in the interval of 4-8 cm. Ingeneral, heeled shoes are defined as shoes, where the vertical distancebetween the lowest placed point at the forefoot and the lowest placedpoint at the heel region is at least 2 cm. The points placed at thesurface turn towards the foot.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are examples of inserts 4 suitable for the high-heeledshoe 1. The reference signs in FIGS. 5A and B are the same as in FIGS.1A and B and in principle, the high-heeled shoe is formed in the sameway as the heeled shoe in FIGS. 1A and B. Principally, the onlydifference between the shoes 1 is the design of the insert and thematerial chosen for the insert 4, i.e. the construction of the insertsand the material chosen. Advantageously, the material is a materialhaving a higher Young's modulus than the material used for thelow-heeled shoes such as the one shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B.

Examples First Material:

Technyl® A 218 V30 Black 21NS

Copolyamid and 30% glass fibre

Mechanical properties: Tensile modulus/Young's Modulus: 10 GPa (ISO 527type 1 A)

Tensile strength at break: 190 MPa

Elongation at break: 3%

Rhodia Technyl® A 218 V43 43% glass filling, heat-stabilised nylon 66comprising polyamide and 43% glass fibre

Tensile modulus/Young's Modulus: 13.8 GPa

Elongation at break: 2%

Tensile strength at break: 230 MPa.

The principle of a high-heeled shoe and insert suitable therefore willbe explained with reference to FIGS. 2A, B and FIGS. 5A, B and FIG. 6.

The shoe 1 comprises an upper 33 formed in leather, and a heel part 3and an outsole 13 are attached thereto. The heel part 3 comprises aninsert 4. Said insert 4 is attached to the shank 30 by retention meanssuch as a bolt 21. Said bolt 21 is placed in a circular opening 20 inthe upper surface 8 and continues in a threaded bore 22 placed in theupper core part 23. The insert 4 is wrapped in the second material asexplained above. By this arrangement, the outer contour layer 12 isformed. The lower surface 9 of the insert 4 is covered with a heel sole27 made in a third material, such as hard TPU. Said TPU is wear andslip-resistant having an A Shore of 85-90 A shore. Advantageously, theheel sole 27 is fastened to the lower bottom surface 9 by gluing due tothe chosen material for the insert, for instance a polymer beingreinforced with glass fibres.

The insert 4 is formed conically like the upper part of an hour glass.In this way, the upper surface 8 of the insert 4 has an adequate areafor supporting the heel of a foot, and the lower surface 9 has a smallcross section area suitable for providing an outer contour of the heelbeing conical and having a more slim and delicate design. However, theinsert 4 may have the same cross section area all the way throughdepending on the weight that the shoe should be able to withstand. Thesecond material surrounding the lateral side of at least the upper 23and middle core part 25, and possibly also parts of the lateral sides ofthe lower core part 26, forms an external surface being independent ofthe insert geometry. The insert 4 must just be covered in such a waythat it is not visible from the outside as the second material forms thecontour of the heel. The insert 4 in FIG. 5A may be manufactured in onepiece or it may be manufactured in several pieces and afterwardsconnected to each other by press fitting and/or gluing. As mentionedabove, the upper core part 23 is conically formed and delimited by theupper surface 8 provided with a circular opening 20 leading into thethreaded bore 22 for receiving a fastening means such as a screw or abolt 21. The upper surface 8 is concave upwards 24 similar to the outersurface of the sole of a foot heel. The upper surface 8 is angled inrelation to the central longitudinal axis 19 of the insert; the anglebeing in the interval of 90-45°; for a high-heeled shoe as described,preferably in the interval 85-65°. The middle core part 25 and the lowercore part 26 are rectangular in the cross section, with the crosssection area being substantially uniform all the way through. The lowerbottom surface 9 comprises a radial flange 38 being 1-2 mm thick andprotruding in relation to the lower core part 26. A heel sole isattached to the lower bottom surface 9 and may continue in such a waythat it covers a piece of the lateral outer sides of the lower core part26. As explained above, the rest of the lateral sides of the lower corepart 26 are covered with the outer contour layer 12.

FIG. 5B shows a third embodiment of an insert 4 suitable for thehigh-heeled shoe 1 shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B and FIG. 3. The referencesigns are equivalent to the reference signs used in FIG. 5A.Principally, the difference between the embodiment in FIG. 5B and theembodiment in FIG. 5A is the design of the upper core part 23. The uppersurface 8 has the same principal slant, but the circumferences arearound 25% larger and formed as a rim 39 with a cavity 40. The rim 39 isconnected to the middle core part 25 by three separate connections/legs28 converging towards the middle core part 25. The joining of thesupporting legs forms the bottom of the cavity, and between thesupporting legs 28 small cavities are formed so that upon injection, theoutsole material may flow into these cavities and increase the adherencebetween the insert 4 and the second material/the outer contour layer 12.The cavities and the supporting legs 28 work as retention meansincreasing the adherence between the insert and the second material.Other fastening means such as screws may be screwed into openings/holesin the upper surface 8. The heel sole 27 is glued to the lower bottomsurface.

FIG. 6 is a fourth embodiment of an insert. The reference numbers usedin FIGS. 5A and 5B also apply to this embodiment. Principally, thedifference between this embodiment and the embodiments shown in FIGS. 5Aand 5B is the construction of flanges 28′ being a part of the insert.The flanges help the second material to adhere to the insert 4 in a safemanner. The insert is constructed with two flanges 28′, i.e. one flangepointing towards the tip of the shoe and one flange pointing in theopposite direction. The flanges 28′ are provided with bores 14 in orderto increase the adherence between the insert 4 and the surroundingsecond material. Flanges and bores work as retention means. Duringproduction of the shoe, the second material flows through the bores 14during the injection of the second material. Each flange 28′ is providedwith 4-5 bores, but it may be more or less depending on the dimensionsof the flange in question. The diameter of the bores is increased in thedirection from the lower bottom surface 9 towards to upper surface 8.The diameter is between 1 mm and 4 mm. The diameter of the bores placedin the flange turning away from the tip of the shoe is larger than thebores placed in the opposite flange. This is due to the thickness of thesecond material surrounding the insert being larger at the backside ofthe heel compared to the front side of the heel.

FIG. 3 shows a third embodiment of heeled footwear according to theinvention and shows an extremely high-heeled sandal. In this case, aninsert 4 as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B is suitable for reinforcing theheel part. Advantageously, the material used is glass fibre or carbonfibre reinforced polymer.

The footwear according to the invention is manufactured in the followingway which applies to all the embodiments:

The insert 4 is placed in a mould. The insert 4 is manufactured in aseparate process before being placed in the mould. Afterwards, a lastwith the upper 33 (said upper is also manufactured in a separate processand when suitable, also with an insole and a shank positioned inrelation to the last) is placed in the mould and positioned in relationto the insert, i.e. the heel area of the upper is placed in the samearea as the insert. Afterwards, the mould is closed, and a material isinjected into the closed mould. By this step, an outer contour layer 12of the heel part 3 and the outsole 13 is formed as one componentcreating an outer sole unit 29. When the material is sufficientlycooled, the mould is opened, and the shoe is taken out. Depending onwhether the shoe is a high-heeled shoe or a heeled shoe in general,there may be a further process. If the shoe is a heeled shoe, the insert4 will typically be made in a TPU. In this case, the heel sole 27 can beformed by injecting a suitable material in the form forming said heelsole, or it may be manufactured together with the insert in the samematerial. Typically, the material is a hard TPU. However, if the insert4 is made in for instance polymer reinforced carbon or glass fibres,there is a further process, where the heel sole is fastened to the lowersurface of the insert. In this case, the heel sole will also typicallybe formed in a hard TPU and glued to the lower bottom surface.

The sole material—the second material may be:

Polyurethane based on ester single density

Shore hardness A measured on plate after 24 hours: 42+/−4

Density on sole after 24 hours: 0.5+/−0.03 per cm².

The first material used for the insert is characterised by being harderand also more rigid and stronger than the second material used for theoutsole unit 29.

LIST OF REFERENCES

-   1 Heeled footwear-   2 a sole assembly-   3 heel part-   4 insert-   5-   6-   7 core body-   8 upper surface-   9 lower bottom surface-   10 outer surface connecting upper and lower surfaces-   11-   12 outer contour layer-   13 outsole-   14 bores-   15-   16-   17-   18-   19 a longitudinal axis of the core body-   20 an opening upper surface-   21 bolt or screw-   22 a thread bore-   23 upper core part-   24 upper surface concave upwards-   25 a middle core part-   26 a lower core part-   27 heel sole-   28, 28′ supporting legs, flanges and ribs-   29 outer sole unit (outsole and outer contour layer)-   30 shank-   31 insole-   32-   33 upper-   34 top part-   35 rectangular opening-   36 main plate-   37 further plate-   38 flange-   39 rim-   40 cavity

The invention claimed is:
 1. Heeled footwear comprising: an upper havinga forefoot area, an arch area, and a heel area; a heel part comprising:an insert, made of a first polymeric material, providing constructionalstrength to the heel part, the insert having an upper facing part, aground facing part, and an outer surface extending between the upperfacing part and the ground facing part, and a ground contacting parthaving a ground contacting surface, an opposite insert facing part, andan outer surface extending between the ground contacting surface and theinsert facing part, the ground contacting part being attached to theground facing part of the insert; and a sole assembly, made of a secondpolymeric material, extending from a forefoot part of the footwear tothe heel part, the sole assembly configured to create a contour layersurrounding at least a portion of the outer surface of the insert of theheel part and a portion of the outer surface of the ground contactingpart of the heel part.
 2. Heeled footwear according to claim 1, whereinthe heeled footwear further comprises a shank extending along the upperfrom the heel area in a direction towards the arch area.
 3. Heeledfootwear according to claim 2, wherein the shank extends across the archarea and into the forefoot area.
 4. Heeled footwear according to claim2, wherein the insert is coupled to the shank.
 5. Heeled footwearaccording to claim 2 further comprising an insole.
 6. Heeled footwearaccording to claim 5, wherein the insole is configured to be positionedbetween the shank and the sole assembly.
 7. Heeled footwear according toclaim 1, wherein the Young's modulus of the first polymeric material islarger than the Young's modulus of the second polymeric material. 8.Heeled footwear according to claim 1, wherein the Shore A value for thesecond polymeric material is in the range of 30-50 Shore A.
 9. Heeledfootwear according to claim 1, wherein the Shore A value for the firstpolymeric material is higher than 65 Shore A.
 10. Heeled footwearaccording to claim 1, wherein the ground contacting part of the heelpart is made of a third material that is different from the first andsecond polymeric materials.
 11. Heeled footwear according to claim 1,wherein the first polymeric material comprises thermoplasticpolyurethane (TPU) having a Young's modulus of at least 8 GPa. 12.Heeled footwear according to claim 1, wherein the second polymericmaterial comprises polyurethane (PU) polymer.
 13. Heeled footwearaccording to claim 1, wherein the upper facing part of the insert has afirst diameter, and the ground facing part has a second diameter, thefirst diameter being greater than the second diameter.
 14. Heeledfootwear according to claim 13, wherein the transition from the firstdiameter to the second diameter is incremental along a height of theinsert.
 15. Heeled footwear according to claim 13, wherein thetransition from the first diameter to the second diameter follows asmooth curve from the first diameter to the second diameter along theheight of the insert.
 16. Heeled footwear according to claim 1, whereinthe first polymeric material comprises a polymer matrix reinforced withglass fibers.
 17. Heeled footwear according to claim 1, wherein thefirst polymeric material comprises a polymer reinforced with 25-45%glass fiber.
 18. Heeled footwear according to claim 1, wherein thesecond polymeric material extends continuously from a toe area of theupper towards the heel area of the upper.
 19. Heeled footwear accordingto claim 1, wherein the ground contacting part is adhered to the groundfacing part of the insert.
 20. Heeled footwear according to claim 1,wherein the insert has a height of at least 3 cm.
 21. Heeled footwearaccording to claim 1, wherein the second polymeric material at leastpartly fixes the insert and the ground contacting part to the upper. 22.Heeled footwear according to claim 1, wherein the second polymericmaterial encloses the entire outer radial surface of the insert partextending below the upper.
 23. Heeled footwear according to claim 1,wherein the second polymeric material of the sole assembly covers alower surface of the forefoot area of the upper, creating a treadsurface.
 24. Heeled footwear according to claim 1, wherein the upperfurther comprises a closed toe end.
 25. Heeled footwear according toclaim 1 further comprising an insole.